


It's Hero Season!!

by Lazarel



Category: Villainous (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:46:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22195012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lazarel/pseuds/Lazarel
Summary: The caped young man takes in the sight of the strange man before him, of his laboratory coat and yellow gloves... but is interrupted as soon as the stranger snaps out of it and his wide-eyed expression - visible through the goggle's lens - sours almost immediately."A HERO?!"
Relationships: Dr. Flug (Villainous)/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 56





	1. It's Icelandic—not 'cute'

The cityscape buzzed with its typical daily activity, citizens going about their day unconcerned and content in the safety and vigilance provided by their heroic protectors. Indeed, the crime incidence was at a record low, had been for some months now. But that also meant there really wasn't much to do in general, other than to watch people come and go in the dull drum of city life.

A young man lazily observes from his spot, suspended in the air by his own supernatural ability, the red cape he wears flutters with fresh spring wind from the north.

"Maybe I should call it a day." He says speaking to no one in particular, yawning out of sheer boredom. 

He's about to look for a discreet place to land and avoid the inevitable crowd which would surely gather there—and that's when he hears it. 

Faint at first, barely audible - until the high pitched sound (voice?) nears at an alarmingly rapid pace. He turns around to look for the source until he spots it: A faint dot far in the distance - turns into a blue blur as it approaches. He's barely able to move out of the thing's way before it zips on by so fast that it's difficult to tell what the object even is, unrecognizable other than the thing being blue, very small. And screaming.

The whipping wind it creates ruffles his dark combed hair and cape with the unnatural force in which it moves, making the young man pause in confusion for a couple of seconds before moving to follow the object's trajectory, just in time to see it land on the parameters outside the city limits - amid dense forestry. He has studied a lot about nature and its fauna, knows no bird that could travel that fast in such a short amount of time, so he follows after it in the direction where it landed. A million thoughts racing through his head as to what could it possibly be? A Bomb? A Meteor—No, wait, both of those things don't scream, silly! 

Regardless of what it could be, any possible threats accosting the city still need to be investigated.

His ultramarine boots contrast against the untamed greenery and soil below as he lands with a quiet thump on the ground, certain the thing is somewhere around this area. While surveying the foliage, a crunching sound draws his attention to the left of his field of vision, pauses to listen more closely until a few seconds later an almost undetectable whimpering... whine(?) amid the natural backdrop noise of the forest. It's a pitiful whimper, sounding more hurt than threatening, similar to that of a distressed animal. Another whine, this time louder, coming from a small clearing ahead. He hurries forward, pushing passed shrubbery, branches and twigs until he sees it. A small lump of blue fur wiggling on the ground in the middle of a bush. He stops and observes it from a distance in case it tries to attack, but the thing remains there after several beats and that's when he decides to take a few steps forward, deeming it safe to do so. The motion attracts the little lump's attention, unfurling from the small ball it was curled into revealing that the lump is no lump after all, but a small blue furred...

Bear cub.

Its large dark watery eyes regard him with unreserved awe as he stands there, towering over it.

"Raining blue bears... what in God's name is going on here today on this day?" The surrounding area is devoid of any visible life aside from birds and squirrels. The sky is empty and quiet, no more bears incoming, but that fall must have hurt, he thinks turning back to the cub on the ground. "Hey, there little guy."

It responds by standing up on its short stubby legs, extending its little paws toward him - and that's it, the strange creature melts his heart in an instant. He always did have a soft spot for animals.

"Well, aren't you a cute one!" He responds and bends down to pick the seemingly harmless creature, "Are you hurt anywhere, buddy?" He notices then a small sprout protruding from its tiny head, thinking it's debris, the young man gently flicks it - but the thing doesn't come off the cub's head, the little guy squirms as if being tickled instead. How odd.

The cub's large doe eyes continue to watch as the strange man inspects his (err... her?) paws and body, it seems unharmed in spite its turbulent journey. Speaking of which - where exactly did it come from? 

"Now how are we going to get you home, my friend, if I don't even know where you came from... Did you come from space- " he asks, raising the little cub up toward the sky - up and down he goes. The bear whines, seems to smile in happy tiny growls, also raising its little paws above its head. 

"So are you an alien or are you— "

"5.0.5!! WHERE ARE— ..."

A distinctly nervous male voice cuts through the forest at that exact moment as a pair of yellow gloved hands parts way through a tall bush of wild flowers and a slender figure emerges forth. The figure is clad in a luminous white coat which reflects sunlight spilling through the branches above. Colorful petals of flowers surround the figure's frame, encasing a curious paper bag and dark goggles masking the stranger's face.

"... an Angel?"

Both stay at a stand still for a long time where the ambient background noise of the surrounding forest is the only things heard among the trees.

The caped young man takes in the sight of the strange man before him, of his laboratory coat and yellow gloves... but is interrupted as soon as the other man snaps out of quiet pause, where he too, assessed him with an inquisitive wide-eyed expression, visible through the goggle's lens before the gaze sours almost instantly.

" _A_ **** _ **HERO**?!_" 

The lab-coated man shouts, as if the hero's mere presence insulted him. "What are you doing with my 5.0.5?!" He accuses, furious, pointing at the little cub in his arms. "You better not try anything funny!" His gloved hand then shove inside the lapels of his lab coat as if to pull out an object probably for self-defense.

"Now, now! Mr. Vet, no need to jump to conclusions." The young hero says in soothing tone, raising the hand not cradling the bear to show he means no harm.

"Mister _**VET**_?! Do not condescend to me, you-, you— !!"

"Blaze Punch, alias is Blaze Punch." The young hero smiles, unabashed, extending a hand out for a friendly introductory handshake. "And you _are_ a Vet, aren't you? I mean, otherwise why would you be so concerned about this little guy over here who fell from the sky," he says bouncing very comfortable looking '5.0.5' in the crook of his arm. "Right?"

"For your information, I'm a _**Doctor**_!! And 'the little guy' is a veryimportant asset I am in charge of, Mr. _Hero._ " 

The animated man spits out, movements full of tightly wound energy, before he storms up to him to swat the extended hand away, looking more and more exasperated as the seconds tick by. He's so _expressive,_ 'just like in my Japanese animes,' the young caped hero wants to say, but wisely decides against it, the Vet looks worked up as it is. However, it doesn't keep his smile from growing wider, amused by the other's eloquent antiques. 

"Well, same thing, right? You're a doctor - but for animals!" 

The 'Vet's' expression goes blank, not quite believing such blatant disrespect to his person. "Unbelievable." He deadpans. "I should pulverize you right where you stand."

The hero laughs. To his face, no less!

The masculine cadence of his voice bounces to the sound of his laughter, vibrant and charming just like the rest of his charismatic persona. "Oh I'm sure you would if you could! Professionals in the medical field, human or otherwise, tend to be overzealous of their work!" 5.0.5 emits a small growl from the hero's arms reminding them why they were both here in the first place. "And of course, here is your charge. Please do take care of him," he doesn't give time for the Doctor to respond as he hands over the small cub. "I cannot imagine the circumstances as to why such a tiny thing would be thrown so high above the ground and for so long..."

The Doctor huffs, taking the bear in his arms nonetheless. "Lord Blhh—knowsss that that's none of your business!" 

"Is not? Dr. Vet, I must tell you that as a hero, if I have reason to believe a helpless creature is being harmed, it is every much my business to investigate and to do something about it." Blaze Punch's tone turns momentarily serious as he steps just a bit closer to the Doctor, making their height difference much more obvious with the young man leaning down slightly to meet the Doctor's eyes.

The proximity takes the Doctor off guard, but he recovers rather quickly - stepping back to put space in between them. "That's Dr. Flug to you, Mister! And I assure you, 5.0.5 is well taken care of, so buzz off!"

"Doctor Flug, the Vet, what a _**cute**_ name!" He beams a handsome smile that reaches his stupidly clear blue eyes.

_This asshole  
_

"It's _Icelandic_ —not 'cute.'" The Doctor frowns, wrinkling the brown paper on his brow. "Did your mom ever teach you any manners, you big oaf?!"

"My mother? Of course she did. My apologies, Dr. Flug, I just tend to forget myself when an interesting person grabs my attention." And now the Doctor is looking at him as if he grew a second head. Oops, did he just say that aloud?

"I don't know what your little game here is, hero, but I am _not_ sticking around to find out! So I'll let you be on your way since 5.0.5 is unharmed, and pretend this whole interaction never happened. Good bye and good riddance!" The Doctor turns around to leave through the same path where he came from, which is the opposite way from the city.

"Wait. Doctor - the city is this way." The hero points out.

"I _know_." He replies annoyed, decidedly advancing deeper into the forest. 

"Uhm... Oh-kaaay... " The other young man scratches the back of his head. "Did you park on a road nearby? Because I can take you there, instead of you walking through the forest." He lifts off of the ground to follow after the Doctor. "I can fly, you know." 

"No, I did not know but I could gather that from the contextual evidence of our surroundings." He continues on his way, among and through the shrubs, without looking at him.

"I can carry you both if you let me." Confidence and the tiniest hint of pride underlays the conversational tone in which Blaze Punch speaks.

But the Doctor is having none of it, whips around before shouting at him again, "Don't you have someone else to bother?! A petty crime you should be stopping? I can get to my transport by myself! Thank you very _muh—_!!"

His words are interrupted by a strong arm pushing at the back of his knees, tilting him backward onto another waiting arm to be carried bridal style up and off the ground. He grunts surprised watching the distance to the ground below grow, unable to do much when his hands are full of blue bear cub. So now he has no choice but to let himself be carried to wherever this maniac thinks he needs to go. 

"You are unbelievable." The Doctor says, unimpressed.

"Thanks! People always tell me that, although with much more enthusiasm. Now where to. Mr Vet?" 

The Doctor narrows his eyes in a glare. 

"If I wasn't carrying 5.0.5, I would blast you to kingdom come right about now—I should have when I had the chance, since you clearly have no idea who you're messing with."

The hero chuckles, _again_. "You're right I don't, but I think would like to!" He says with a wide - almost playful grin plastered on his face while gazing down at him. "You look like a lot of fun, Dr. Vet!"

_... 'Fun?'_

_Him?!  
_

Dr. Flug searches for signs of mockery or hidden cruelty underneath the blue of the hero's eyes, large and radiant, set below abundant dark brows. Looking for asinine condescension, perhaps, under the defined jaw, full lips and even white teeth. However, even worse than actually finding any of that - the only things he actually sees is unblemished enthusiasm and a genuine desire to help others. 

To help _him_ of all people! 

The young Doctor sighs, already feeling a tension headache coming on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have wonderful Sketch1000grau to thank for giving me the opportunity to work with her OC! Johnny belongs to her, as well as the premise for this AU where Flug actually finds someone who likes him, likes him!  
> I just elaborated on it bc I fell in love with the idea!!
> 
> Sketch1000grau's twitter:☕SKETCH1000GRAU (@GreySketchBT): https://twitter.com/GreySketchBT?s=09  
> Tumblr: http://sketch1000grau.tumblr.com  
> (Her art is amazing btw)
> 
> My own Tumblr: lazarel-3000.tumblr.com  
> Twitter: Lazarel (@_Lazarel_): https://twitter.com/_Lazarel_?s=09
> 
> My hope to continue to work on this story if there's interest, so please let me know what u think on the comment section!!


	2. back by sunset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Johnny."
> 
> Dr. Flug pauses, turning back. "Huh?"
> 
> "Johnny is my actual name, Doctor."
> 
> "And you're telling me this because... "
> 
> "I don't really know." Johnny admits in all honesty. "But tell me, is 'Dr. Flugslys' your actual name, Doc?" 
> 
> The bright exterior light reflects in a white glare on the Doctor's goggles, two bright circles of reflected light contrast over the darks and reds of the ship's interior.
> 
> "What do you think?" 

Blue light casts over the ceiling and bedroom walls in early evening glow. A few nights have come and gone since, but the image of the strange Veterinarian remains in the young hero's mind as he lays in bed next to the open window of his apartment, the cool breeze passing through his bedroom high above the gentle multicolored city lights below. Perhaps it's because his daily routine has been too quiet, too peaceful - too boring lately, that even the smallest event is magnified when compared the town's newfound monotony, so his mind wonders and it keeps coming back back to the Vet. Specially in quiet moments like these. 

What a curious fellow.

No, 'curious' wasn't the word he was looking for... More like, 'intriguing?' 'Puzzling?' Because who keeps blue bear cubs as pets anyway? Not your average Joe, that's for sure. Then there was the paper bag on his head—a bag instead of a mask, really, he huffs.

The fact that his face wasn't visible beyond his dark goggles naturally arose curiosity to anyone who happened to lay eyes on him, right? Sure, he's dealt with his fair share of eccentric fellows, but all with legitimate reasons to hide their face; hero or villain. And yet this guy... this guy was different. He seemed harmless enough, on the surface at least, aside from the smart mouth he had on him, though his voice did manage to convey an eccentric charm of sorts about him. A nice lively tone which expressed every emotion perfectly. Truth be told, hearing it again—even if it just threw insults at him, doesn't sound bad at all, if only for the entertainment value. Darn, he should have asked for his full name so he could pay his veterinary clinic a visit. People are usually happy to have a hero visit anyway.

Turning toward the window, the black haired man pays close attention to the sky, in hopes that it brings a blue bear again.

...................................

[ BREAKING NEWS: Recent bank robbery in progress in downtown Financial District. The Terrible Three, a gang of misfits notorious for their numerous petty crimes streaks has been identified as the instigators of this incident. Having gone dormant a few months after the city's new No Crime Unpunished Initiative, they have resurfaced with their biggest heist yet! More, with correspondent Paula Dol... ]

Johnny watches from the cafeteria table, the ham in his sandwich slides from between toasted bread and melted cheese, falling with a sobering splat to the disposable plastic plate below.

The screen shows the three stooges he's had to deal with in the past aim military grade bazookas at the cops surrounding the perimeter, no other hero in sight. Standing up, he grabs the hefty bookbag hanging form the back of his chair alongside the food tray with the barely touched lunch, tosses it to the trash on his way out the door - hating wasting food like this. A quick pace guides his steps to the nearest restroom, already expecting a call from dispatch.

The familiar beeping alert comes when he's almost done suiting up.

[ Blaze Pu— ]

"On my way." He responds, interrupting the voice coming from his communicator before it can direct him further.

It only takes him a few minutes to arrive. Special forces already surround the area, from where a negotiator attempts communication through a megaphone with the Trio inside. Several news outlets and helicopters point their cameras at the unfolding scene, the atmosphere is charged with the intensity of a high stakes situation unlike any the town has seen in past months. Several clicks and strobes of light flash in Blaze Punch's direction, it's hard to miss his presence when he's arrives and remains suspended midair paying them no mind as he focuses on the layout below to come with a plan. However, a small commotion to his right draws his attention to the earthy tones of a costume clad figure making their way through the crowd. The figure shoves the police around to advance to the forefront of the line with the Chief following after her. He decides to make his descend then. 

" ... -150 people in total are inside, including staff and civilians, Ms. Woodchuk!" The old police Chief jostles around her until he spots him, "—Blaze Punch! You're here too, thank goodness!" throwing his hands up in relief as the hero lands.

The girl sweeps around at the sound of his alias being called out, surprised to see him as well it seems, yet the quirk of her brow prompts him to pause, "Nice of you to come, but I got it." She greets.

"Never hurts to have the extra help." He insists in a light friendly tone. She can't be older than the second of his youngest siblings.

"YOU CAN BRING IN AS MANY HEROES AS YOU LIKE, WE'LL STILL BLOW THIS PLACE UP AND THE EVERYONE INSIDE BEFORE WE GO DOWN!"

The leader of the group interrupts from the bank's front entrance where several wooden desks have been stacked one on top of another to create a barricade. The tips of two distinguishable (and familiar) black vinyl bunny ears peace back and forth behind two bazooka barrels aimed at the riot police. 

"C'mon, Cosmo, you don't want to add 'first degree murder' to your list of petty misdemeanors, I thought you were better than that, 'said so yourself. You want fame, not scorn." Blaze Punch steps forward, placing a hand on the negotiator's shoulder, wordlessly asking for permission to take over negotiations. "Isn't that what you told me last time on our way to the police station?"

"WHO IS THAT? IS THAT YOU, BP?!" The young man shouts back. Good, seems Cosmo still remembers him from his last encounter. "LOOK, MAN, ALL WE WANT IS TO BE LET OUT OF HERE AND NO ONE GETS HURT!"

"I hear ya, buddy! But we need you to let the people go first so I can work my magic on this side." Blaze Punch responds without hesitation.

"Are you crazy?!" Woodchuk smacks his arm, "We do not negotiate with criminals!!" She admonishes, furious this time. "Do you want all the scumbags watching thinking that we've gone soft?" Ah, so she's part of the Self-Righteous Holier-than-Thou Brigade. 

"The lady is right!" A man dressed in an expensive looking suit comes up behind Woodchuk to chime in, he holds a cellphone close to his left ear, must be a bank executive by the looks of him, Blaze Punch guesses. "I have the bank's vice-president on the line! We cannot allow these _street rats_ to take off with thousands of dollars in cash! This is one of our biggest branches in this district—we would suffer a considerable capital loss! So kill them, maim them—we don't care, as long as you get the money back!!" 

Oh, now this guy - this guy rubbed him the wrong way. the heros jaw tightens as he takes a couple of steps toward the man. "So are you telling me you and your vice-president value money more than the lives at stake here? Is that what you're telling me, Mister... " He leans down causing the suit to flinch as he reads the name printed on his employee badge, "Mr. Gerald Simmons, because I can gladly talk to the press afterward and explain to them how eager you and your superiors were to sacrifice the hostage's lives to avoid - what was it? Oh, yes, 'capital loss.'" The hero then straightens up, watching the man scramble for a response that didn't confirm what he just said. 

"Y-you don't know that! The outcome of this incident is still un— "

"Besides." He insists, "I'm sure a distinguished financial entity such as yours has a blanket bond in place exactly for situations like this. Use it." The conversation ends, with Blaze Punch turning back to the barricade without waiting for a response from the quivering executive. 

"Still," Woodchuk says at his side, "we can't just—" 

"Is gonna be alright, Chuckles, just follow my lead." He says, ruffling the girl's hair in reassurance before shouting back. "Alright, how do you want to do this, Cosmo?!"

"HOW DO WE KNOW YOU'RE GONNA HOLD UP YOUR END OF THE DEAL, SMART GUY?!" Bunny ears shouts back.

"I guess you don't, buddy! But here, Chuckles and I can walk over to where you can clearly see us. So my uniformed friends here can't shoot you since I'll be in the way—and well, I really don't think folks want to see the city's beloved heroes being shot down by their own police force." He says already walking over to the no-man's land in between, hands up in the air. "Just make sure you got your get-away route ready, because I can't assure you that the police helicopters won't follow. How about that?!" He asks, just to be sure. 

"..."

"..."

"DEAL." The voice responds, turning away to bark at someone's else behind. "Call our pick-up service, Roxy! Toni!! Round up the hostages, I'll keep an eye on 'em to make sure they don't move."

Blaze Punch sighs in relief, looks like this will go smoothly after all, though he can already hear Headquarters chewing him out for taking such a huge risk without consulting them and yadda, yadda, yadda... so on and so forth. The News helicopter hovers at a distance, providing live feed to the public tuning in, the coverage borderlines into a morbid entertainment after the long dry spell of crimeless weeks. And perhaps Blaze Punch would be more inclined to indulge them with all the theatrics they loved to see—had people's actual lives not been on the line.

Movement to his left side draws his eyes there just in time to see a desk come tumble down the wide steps of the pale-grey building, the police point their weapons at the site until the figure of a disheveled crying woman comes into view, her hands held up in the air as she screams her head off. 'Please don't shoot, I'm a hostage—I'm a hostage!' She shouts, and the police make way for her to advance forward. Soon after another person comes filing out the building, minutes later another, and then another one. All seemingly unharmed, it makes the hero all the more glad to have arrived when he did before things got out of control.

The process takes about half an hour until they reach 149 total.

149...

"One is missing, Cosmo." Blaze Punch warns.

"I NEED MY INSURANCE THAT YOUR EARTH GIRL OVER THERE DOESN'T TRY ANYTHING FUNNY!!" 

He turns back to catch sight of Woodchuk cracking her knuckles while doing a little hops in place as if getting ready for a boxing match. Great. " _Woodchuk_ , stay put or they won't give us the last one." He sing-songs between grit teeth keeping his voice even, a front really to give the illusion that he's still in control of the situation even if he doesn't with the way the female hero is eyeing both him and the bunny ears behind the barricade. 

"It's here!" Cosmo's female accomplice shouts from somewhere behind him just as a black and red flying object swoops on passed and behind the building. 

But a sudden rumbling from beneath Blaze Punch's feet catches him off guard as large chunks of concrete lift up from the ground, they levitate for a fraction of a second before they're flung directly to the barricaded desks in front of him. Everything happens too fast for him to stop it, but knows it could not have possibly been the Trio manipulating matter, they possessed no supernatural abilities besides their reckless bravado and talent for quick escapes. 

"Woodchuk, stop!" He shouts, but the girl is already leaping forward. 

"I SAID _NO FUNNY BUSINESS!!_ " Cosmo shouts and fires the bazooka into the police line. 

Blaze Punch summons forth his force-field shield which barely manages to cover against the missile's impact. The fiery explosion blinds everyone for a brief second, by the time the dust dissipates, Cosmo and his band have already moved away from the front of the building and are running toward the bank's back exit.

"Oh no you don't!" 

Woodchuk shouts as she lifts up her leg for a high kick, is about to bring her heel down against the concrete again for a second attack of dislodged ground floor, until Blaze Punch's stops her landing with the palm of his hand.

"I said. Stay. Put." His patience was wearing thin, "Now they've taken a hostage." 

Her brows furrow in a nasty sneer. "And you're letting them get away." She answers.

"That. Was. _The Deal._ " He responds, throwing her leg to the side before he takes off after them.

"I don't make deals with criminals!!" She shouts running after him as dozens of police men run alongside her to the back of the building where the band of robbers is presumably making their escape. 

It takes him only a few seconds to arrive, but it's not enough time when they've already boarded the strange flying machine which now hovers several feet above the alleyway. Muffled cries for help can be heard coming from inside the jet black vehicle, Blaze Punch's fist clench to prepare for an attack until the window slides down and another blast from their bazooka forces him to call up his shield again instead. Three more additional blasts aimed at his surroundings land somewhere below as the transport takes off with the Trio and hostage inside. He brushes passed the smoke to in pursuit, but doesn't have follow for long as their door suddenly opens and an elderly man, the hostage, is kicked off the vehicle into the hard city floor. 

"Shit," he curses speeding up flight, barely catching the screaming man a few feet away from a nasty splattering end. 

The street where he lands is quickly flooded by the media and several onlookers, as the poor man sobs into his arms thanking him for his life, but the blue clad hero still looks toward the sky where the black ship disappeared.

Yup, they got away, alright, he thinks.

But why did he feel like he had seen a ship like that one before?

_________

Dim lights serve to stave off a threatening migraine. The glow from the monitors provide the only source of light in the room while their quite mechanical humming fills this section of the Laboratory. The soft light reflects from the young scientist's goggles as numbers and names scroll up the screen in bright green neon text. They slowly blur into one another as his thoughts stray and return to the bizarre meeting from before in spite of his best efforts to keep them focused. Though, compared to his current surroundings, the lingering sensation of soaring skies _was_ preferable to the current drudgery of his work; yeah, that had been nice. Would have been marginally better if the hero had kept his trap shut throughout the ordeal, he thinks, typing a little harder on the keyboard than necessary. 

The Blazing Dude- or whatever his alias is - was gullible enough to believe him when he said the black and red Organization aircraft pod was constructed as hobby of his, unsure of the other's actual power level at the time, it was better to play it safe considering how unprepared he was to seriously engage an enemy in serious combat. Luckily, the hero appeared more interested in him rather than the suspicious pod cocooned in the bushes in the middle of nowhere. 

_A slight squeeze to his thigh and sides had him squeaking an embarrassingly odd sound, provoking a glare toward the black haired hero—whom, for his part, was unable to suppress a chuckle as he set the Doctor down once they had arrived to their destination._

_"Sorry, Dr. Vet, is just that you weigh almost nothing, are you_ _eating enough?"_

The fact that he had indeed been forgetting to eat proper meals in the past couple of weeks was _beside_ the point! He murmurs, face hot now—imagine a hero, babying _HIM_? _!_ Black Hat Organization's Head Engineer of Research and Development?! _Ha!_ Now that's rich!! He snorts. If he sees that insufferable prick again he will— okay. O _w, owowow_... and now he has a migraine. Time for a break. Dr. Flug steps away from the desk and heads over to the printing machine that spat out the invoice receipt for a new order placed this morning, he grabs it on the way out to the outer chamber of the lab alongside his coffee mug resting on his desk, taking it with him for a second refill.

Outside 5.0.5 is playing, or pretending to play, cards with a couple of Botlers he assigned to look after his creation while he worked. The bots looked bored out of their minds as 5.0.5 growls in delight throwing the cards up in the air, too young to understand any rules of Poker.

"Are you behaving well?" The Doctor coos at the little cub on the floor, who begins to get up from where he sat to waddle over, little tubby paws outstretched. "Ah-ah, sorry, little guy. I still have some more business to take care of..." He trails off, walking over to the adjacent Lab area, reviewing again the invoice that came through for one of the latest contraptions created by the Berlin branch: A new multi-use weapon that called for careful handling, not many sold as of yet—possibly due to the steep price of the thing. So it was up to him to make the delivery to one of the cities from where the request came through and ensure the buyers actually knew what they were doing.

"As if I didn't have enough work to do here." Dr. Flug grumbles and goes onto read the attached summary details regarding the request. "Figures, street hoodlums would be in need of an upgrade, after all, not everyone is born with a mind such as mine. Even a powerpuffed heroes are no match for—MY BAAAACK!!!!"

A pair of toned pale arms encircle his neck and hang heavy dead weight from behind, a dry cracking noise from his spine is heard above impish laughter next to his ear. "What are you blabbering on about, Loser?"

His voice comes out strained from the odd angle in which he leans. "Of course it had to be you!! Now get off of me, I have a meeting to attend to!"

"Gonna make a delivery later though?" Demencia asks as she lets go of his neck.

"Yes. I am." He says stretching forward to align his spine again. "And before you ask, no. I don't want you coming with me!" 

"Wasn't going to!" She replies, sticking her tongue out at him. 

"Good, because I wasn't going to take you and you better keep your filthy hands to yourself or I swear to God, Demencia!!" Flug admonishes as he advances toward the hangar's door, already pressed for time. Like always.

"Relax, I'll behave."

His eyes leveling a suspicion and warning stare at her.

"... Not."

She declares as soon as the door closes. 

* * *

"'Take the new model out for a spin,' he said. 'Make yourself useful,' he said... 'It should be easy. You should be back by sunset,' he said." _Th_ _reatened,_ is Dr. Flug's afterthought. His upper body sprawls over the control panel, stuck inside the newest prototype Hat ship on top of the park's monument, surrounded by tall trees and in the middle of nowhere.

"When will my suffering end?" Flug laments to no one in particular.

He's stranded. The light of the monitor flashes on the screen, signaling the engine's axial blade damage - which he finds odd when just yesterday everything was in working order. Somehow, he gets the feeling Demencia had something to do with the malfunction like in most things that go wrong for him. He'll deal with her later, because now - even if he's able to procure a new engine from somewhere nearby it would be ridiculously difficult to carry it back without Demencia or little 5.0.5's strength. Great, just great. At times like these, he wished he had actually injected himself with that super strength serum created for the Spain-based client. However, all he can hope for now is that his ship didn't attract any unwanted attention... which seemed a little too late since his vantage point provided him with a perfect view of the commotion taking place a few kilometres away at the park's entrance.

_________

A curious crowd of onlookers gathers at the entrance, News is already live on the scene while the park's rangers do their best to keep everyone else from entering the evacuated area.

"We are live in Velmont Park where a strange unidentified flying object crashed a few minutes prior on the town founder ́s statue located in the far eastern corner of the park— " The reporter is interrupted by one of the residents, eager to provide his own account of the events.

"My son and I saw it, it was a black flying machine with some random guy inside it!! Flew low enough where we could see it, black smoke trailing behind!" The excited man says, small child in tow looking just as excited as his father. The reporter manages to pull away her microphone from the crazed resident before he continues to take up any more airtime.

"We've received report that authorities have already dispatched help to investigate— " 

"Good!" A red faced citizen takes hold of her mic once again, "that's why we pay taxes, so heroes take care of us! They should send that blue guy, what's his name again?"

"You mean Blaze Punch, honey?" His wife says next to him. "He can destroy that thing in the blink of an eye!"

A young man dressed in business causal attire approaches the agitated mob. _'As if they hadn't seen a weird flying things in the sky before...'_ He sighs, rolls his eyes and looks for a hidden corner where he can change.

"Yeah, and the guy—he had a paper bag over his head!! Or maybe that _was_ his head?!" Someone else shouts in the crowd. Johnny stops in his tracks at that. 

"FOOLS!! This is obviously staged! Y're all just a bunch of ignorant sheeple!! Can't you see? This is to distract us from the government's hidden agenda!!" A disheveled hulking man in glasses and patriotic shirt screams at the crowd, pointing a large accusatory finger at the rest of the people there.

Alright, this clownery has gone for long enough, he needs to break them up before they start fighting each other again like last month at the farmer's market. ' _What to do, what to do... Ah, got it!_ ' A sly smile spreads itself across Johnny's face. "Ohhh NO!" He exclaims loud enough for the entire crowd to hear, "A paper bag, you say?! ...I-it can't BE!" Then points to the statue in the distance. "IT ́S TERRIBLE DOCTOR SQUAREHEAD!!!"

The crowd goes silent, looking among themselves confused.

"THE INSANE EVIL GENIUS WHO CAN TURN EVERYONE HERE INTO DUST!!"

Nothing.

Oh jeez, he has to do all the work around here.

"Blaze Punch ́s mortal enemy." He deadpans at the crowd finally.

But the effect is instantaneous: Everyone stampedes out the area, howling and screaming at the top of their lungs in their rush to get out of there as soon as possible, fully aware of the gravity of the situation once a villain is declared a hero's mortal enemy. Even the News people leave, choosing to cut their transmission short. Good, fortunately the space was large enough where everyone could leave without pushing or tripping over each other. 

"OUT OF MY WAY - _OW_ , MY LEG!!!" 

Well, almost everyone.

_________

"What in the hell... ?" Dr. Flug asks, squinting to better focus on the turmoil visible through the ship's window.

_________

Once the entrance to the park has been cleared, Johnny eyes the park rangers still safeguarding the entrance, flashes his state issued Identification and is promptly let in without question, until one of the rangers asks just as he walks through the gates."'That really your nemesis, BP?" Comes the gruff voice.

Blaze Punch smirks back over his shoulder. "Don't know yet." He replies, already untucking the carefully ironed cotton dress shirt to change once more into his suit.

He's getting a lot of use out of the thing lately.

...................................

  
Electric blue eyes recognize 'Dr. Vet' as soon as they land on him - a quick grin spreads over his lips as he watches the slender figure clumsily attempt a climb down the shiny black machine lodged into the founder's massive outstretched stone hand. The line of his shoulders relax, confirming the odd acquaintance's presence from the other day.

"We have to stop meeting like this, Dr. Vet!" 

The man pauses for a second, the reflection of the sun giving his white coat an iridescent ethereal glow - at odds with the violent jerk of the man's head in his direction.

" _ **YOU**_ , _ AGAIN!"_

He yells and the hero laughs.

...................................

"For the third time, stop getting so close to me!!!"

"But I'm not."

Blaze Punch's hands rest above a low hanging tree branch where Dr. Flug hunches to read the coordinates on the small screen of his navigation device. Or tries to at least, but the blasted hero's close proximity combined with the smell of fresh laundry and cologne make it very difficult for the Doctor to concentrate.

"Yes, you are!" Flug accuses. "It had to be my luck to get stuck here!" He will make sure to surcharge the crap out of this delivery for sure when he gets back home. Stupid kids and their godawful directions!

"Alright, alright, sorry..." Blaze Punch defers, stepping away. "But why won't you let me help? I just want to make sure you make it out okay. I mean you almost fell twice trying to get down from the statue on your own." He chuckles, "Gotta admit, though - you're the first Vet I know who's also a genius in mechanical engineering. Very self-sufficient indeed!"

"That's because I'm a Doctor with a degree and not a _Vet_!" he reminds the hero again. "I don't even know why I bother with you!"

But Blaze Punch ignores him to look up at the ship instead, searching, not minding the daggers Dr. Vet is currently glaring his way. "Where's 5.0.5?" 

"At home, sleeping. He's a growing boy, you know, not that it's any of your business!" He admonishes, jabbing a finger to the taller man's chest to drive his point.

"Of course it is, he's my little friend, remember?" The hero's head tilts slightly to the side, gazing at the Doctor with that insufferable grin on his face, "same as you..." His tone remaining cheery and innocent - but there is something in the way he eyes Flug that catches the Doctor's attention, it's somehow different from the friendly tone he used before.

"I'm not your friend." Dr. Flug declares after a brief pause. "And the fact that 5.0.5 liked you enough to nod when _you_ asked him if he wanted to be _your_ 'little friend' does not make _me_ your friend! Besides—he's too young to consent anyway, and as his paternal figure I say; No, you can't be friends with him either!"

"Aww, Mr. Vet, don't be like that!" Blaze Punch teases, "I'm sure we could get along," crosses his arms over his chest, a warm confident smile on his lips. "You're the most pleasant oddity I've encountered in a while."

_'Oddity.'_

The bag over the Doctor's face suddenly feels really hot, he doesn't know if it's out of anger or what, but this—whatever _this is_ , needs to stop. 

"I'm not here for your amusement, you rude piece of— " he doesn't finish the sentence, instead he's the one stopping to take a breather and not let this third rate nobody get the best of him. What's with him, anyway?! He has given the hero absolutely zero reasons to want to get to know him, unless he knew exactly who he was and was trying to lure him into a sense of security so that he could spill out the secrets of his Master's Organization. Yes, that must be it!!

"Oh no, I'm so sorry, Doc, that's not what I— "

Vain Punch or whatever his name is begins to say, but his apology is cut short when the Doctor's communicator goes off. Flug shoves the hero to the side to immediately answer the incoming call, hastily fumbling with the cuff of his sleeve in time to see the screen of his wristwatch change to the dark figure on the other side. His yellow clad hand goes to his head in a nervous gesture as he paces a few feet away from the caped man next to him.

" **Sunset approaches**." An aged male baritone rasps over the device frequency, calm and warning.

"Sir!" The Doctor answers after a loud intake of air.

Blaze Punch watches from where he stands, respecting the Vet's obvious desire for privacy. Still, though, he's able to catch the odd intonation coming from the watch, picks up on the way his newfound friend's shoulders quiver just a bit at the sound of the gravelly voice. 'Sir' he said, it must be someone important, his boss perhaps? Blaze Punch rests his palms at the back of his head and leans against a nearby tree, watchful as he observes the interaction play out before him. Noting that the high afternoon sun has indeed started its descend.

"I had a bit of a problem with the new prototype, Sir." The young Doctor's voice breaks just a little.

" **Oh? I thought the thing was near its mass production phase, Doctor.** " The voice asks again, dropping in tone.

"It is—was!! I-I need to assess what's wrong with it, my Lord." 'My Lord,' Blaze Punch arches a brow at that. "But it should be in good working condition soon enough!" Dr. Flug continues.

" **See to it that it does. We have a scheduled appointment with a client this evening and I need your unfortunate presence _here_. Don't make me fetch you**."

"Sir, yes, Sir!!" A quick little salute is the response, firm conviction to comply clear in the Doctor's voice.

The call ends there.

"Was that your boss?" Blaze Punch asks walking over to him, making the scientist jump at the sound of his voice. He seems to have forgotten that he was still standing there. 

"Again, it's none of your business." Flug replies, furrowing his brows again.

"I only ask, _Doctor_ , for the way he talked to you." Blaze Punch stops before him, expression serious for once since Dr. Flug met him, feeling something not quite right anymore. "Just making sure everything's okay."

Now it's the Doctor's turn to responds with a laugh. Humorless and dry. "As if anything ever went well for me, that'd be the day!" He replies walking passed Glazed Pun... or whatever his name is, fumbling with the location coordinates on his pad again. Busies himself with that until the reality of his situation hits again, then proceeds to crumble the brown paper over his head. "Of course! The part will take three whole hours to get here! I am screwed. The Boss will have my head for dinner..." Coming down to sit on his hunches, he whimpers, hands sliding over his face and goggles. That's it, he better arrange his own funeral service now.

"Wow, well your Boss sounds like a hardass, Doc, and I guess it's too bad you don't have a strong, airborne, _attentive_ hero at your side... "

"FINE!!" 

Dr. Flug shoots up from his hunching misery on the floor, swerves around to level the hero with a begrudging glare. "You want to help me?! Fine! You insufferable oaf! Take me to the nearest plane junkyard, how about that?! I need parts from there to make my ship run so make yourself useful, third rate _hero_ , and actually— _ **HELP. ME!!"**_ ****

He yells, stalking up to the taller man's personal space from where the Doctor's eyes become slightly visible behind the lenses of his dark goggles, hints of sooty lashes and clear luminous eyes focus on Blaze Punch as they continue to yell in a fit of frustration and despair into the other's face and... Oh man. The sight of this bundle of nerves of a man and his words stir something in Blaze Punch's chest. Gladly, eagerly, he chucks the sudden surge of energy running through his body as his innate desire to help others, it's _almost_ the same spark that lights his nerves on fire whenever his capabilities are about to be put to use. And yet there is no threat here, so he ignores the sensation forming at the pit of his stomach—another kind of urge altogether—and clenches his fist at his sides instead. The motion keeps his hands busy and there - and not somewhere else where they... they _shouldn't_ be. A deceivingly easy smile settles over Blaze Punch's face as he gazes down at the desperate smaller man standing before him.

"Yeah," His mouth is suddenly dry. "This third rate hero will help you, alright..." Without thinking his hands move to grasp at the Doctor's narrow waist, watches the other's head jerk down at the offending hold.

"What— " Dr. Flug doesn't finish what he was about to say because he's lifted into the air, promptly thrown over Blaze Punch's shoulders as he takes off from the ground like a sack of flour.

"There's a place like that in the next county, should take us less than twenty minutes to arrive!" Blaze Punch says loudly as way of explanation, hands firm at the back of Flug's thighs. 

The Doctor doesn't hear him, too busy holding onto the paper bag covering his face to respond or properly appreciate the view when Blaze Punch's red cape keeps smacking his face. He either keeps the bag over his head or fights against the damn cape, muttering curses under his breath but figuring this is a far better option than having to wait back at the park for his body to be turned inside out in order to fit into a small portal package headed for Hat Island. The hero hums a peppy tune behind and above him, carefree and unfazed as if Flug weighted nothing at all, which only managed to grate on the Doctor's nerves even more. But fine, he could deal—whatever it took to get home on time.

Sitting at the edge of a metal crate considerately pushed to its current position at the plane's cockpit side by his unlikely companion and after enduring eternal minutes of torturous flight, Dr. Flug rummages through an old Beechcraft G36's open casket. None of these planes are fighter jets, but the ones they do have here are enough for the unlicensed engineer to help him make his trip back to the island. 

Blaze Punch sits over the aircraft's rusted wing on the opposite side of the small plane, leisurely leaning against the window's cockpit, eyes smiling without actually making the gesture with his lips as he watches the other man work in a blessedly long silence - which is good and fine and all. Until the hero speaks again.

"You know, this could be a date."

Flug nearly drops his compact wrench at that, splutters a little before quickly recovering. "As if!! ... Although visiting plane junkyards is not a bad date idea, 'gotta admit— _BUT_ I'm not a girl and this is no date!" He reminds pointing the tool in the Blaze Punch's direction.

"And who said you needed to be a girl? Charming, interesting guys make for good dates too." The hero responds without missing a beat. Flug pauses at that and quirks an eyebrow. "What, something wrong with that?" Blaze Punch questions noticing the other's reaction and smirks, daring the other to answer.

"I couldn't care less," the Doctor replies finally, going back to work on the machine, "Just would have never expected a hero to be so open about... that. Unlike a villain, heroes heavily rely on public opinion for work and rep. And I'm sure you know, the public is not always the most... progressive of self-aware organisms out there when it comes to certain things. Is sometimes the reason why villains become, well, villains." 

The hero hums in thought for a moment, leaning his cheek over the palm of his hand, happy to have finally coaxed the Dr. Flug into a non-yelling conversation. "Seems like you've put some thought into this. Doctor. So, do you think villains and heroes are made? Or born?" 

"What a dumb question is that. It's both—obviously! Even someone as dim as you should know that! Or what, don't tell me you never spare a second thought to the criminals you defeat?!" The glare returns, but this time its accompanied by two impatient hands at his hips. " _All_ of you can't be _that_ dense."

"Of course not, Doc, I just wanted to pick your brain - that's all."

"Whatever," Flug answers then. "Now help me lift this up, we need to take it back to the ship," and gets up on the crate to begin dislodging the engine from the plane's cockpit chamber.

"Hey— wait! I got it, wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." Blaze Punch says and moves above the Beechcraft's tip to easily extract the engine from its place. 

Flug moves to a corner of the crate to allow Blaze Punch more space as he observes slender muscle move under the tight fitting fabric of his uniform. Watching these clowns on the news or in online videos is completely different from experiencing their raw power and natural abilities in person, it's one of the reasons why Flug never shies away from studying them once in captivity. His findings: No hero is ever the same, they're as varied as the stars in the sky—equally beautiful and bright to the untrained human eye, but intellectual minds like his are aware of the galaxy of mysteries and complexities hidden within each. Their DNA specially. So he really can't help the curiosity that overtakes him when he has such easy access to a subject such as this.

"Where you born with those powers or did you have a freak accident? Or were you the 'Chosen One' of your hometown or something?" Dr. Flug asks, left hand below his chin in thought.

"Hm? Oh, the first one. As far as my eldest family members remember no one from both sides was born with heroic abilities, so they suspect the powers come from a long lost ancestor no one remembers anymore." Blaze Punch answers honestly, hauling the bulky engine onto his left shoulder. Without hesitation then, he descends to encircle a long firm arm around the Doctor's waist.

He stiffens, "What are you doing?"

"Taking you back," Blaze Punch answers. "put your arms around my shoulders." But the other makes no effort to move, "I'm not trying anything funny, Dr. Vet... " Nothing still. "Don't tell me you're gonna get all weird with me because you know now I swing both ways."

"It's not that, I just don't like anyone touching me!"

"Well, it's a little too late for that, don't you think? I've already touched you plenty." A red flush tints the Doctor's slender neck as a pronounced downward wrinkle of the bag hints at a deep frown adorning the Doctor's face, and Blaze Punch has to suppress his laughter—it's so hard to keep a straight face with him. "Sorry. poor word choice there. my bad." A sheepish grin. "Now c'mon, Doc, don't you have an appointment to attend to?"

"Crap, I forgot!" And that does the trick, because soon he's quickly wrapping his arms around the taller hero's shoulders, however, the way Blaze Punch bites his bottom lip to keep from smiling doesn't go unnoticed. Flug "accidentally" knees Blaze Punch's groin to wipe that smirk off his face, it causes the desired effect as the other emits a small groan of pain.

"Sorry," Dr. Flug mumbles, clearly not feeling sorry at all.

"S'alright, not many get to ride with a hero this close." Blaze Punch replies pulling him flushed against his body, Flug goes with an undignified huff. "People get nervous." And he takes off before Flug has a chance to reply.

...................................

"Yes!" Dr. Flug fist-bumps the air, when the axial compressor blades fit perfectly into the engine.

"So, I guess this is good-bye then." Blaze Punch comments from where he waits midair a few feet away from the Doctor. "Another day, another good deed accomplished."

Flug clears his throat before turning around to face him, standing over the small surface of the statue from where his ship crashed. "Yes, yes it is. And as much as I would like to pretend this horrid day didn't happen, a scientist like myself is not above acknowledging when help has been given... And accepted... Thank you." 

"My pleasure, Dr. Flugslys." Blaze Punch extends his hand for a shake, flashing a smile when Flug takes it after a moment of reluctant hesitation. "It would be great if we could meet again though, I have a feeling you're no ordinary guy, if the flying machine is anything to go by."

"You got one thing right about me, at least." The Doctor replies quickly pulling his hand away, "but don't count on it, Hero." He dismisses as the door to the hangar of his ship opens and he turns to step inside.

"Johnny."

Dr. Flug pauses, turning back. "Huh?"

"Johnny is my actual name, Doctor."

"And you're telling me this because... "

"I don't really know." Johnny admits in all honesty. "But tell me, is 'Dr. Flugslys' your actual name, Doc?" 

The bright exterior light reflects in a white glare on the Doctor's goggles, two bright circles of reflected light contrast over the darks and reds of the ship's interior.

"What do you think?" 

Is the only answer he gives right as the door to the ship shuts.

...................................

He makes it back just twenty minutes before the scheduled appointment.

Stumbling through the paperwork haphazardly strewn over his desk, he attempts to refresh his memory on who exactly was coming and for what when a pair of mismatched canvas tennis shoes land on his desk.

"Awww! You made it back!" Demencia welcomes him as she squats to meet his eyes.

"I did. Would have been here _sooner_ if you hadn't messed with the ship's ENGINE!!" He straightens at the same time he slams the desk with open palms. "I COULD HAVE DIED!!" 

She replies with bouncing laughter, "But you didn't and It was just a prank~! Don't be so dramatic!"

"You little— "

He doesn't finish because she's suddenly stops her giggling, her face going blank as she abruptly leans forward to sniff the labcoat he wears, right over the chest and then over the expanse of his arms. "You smell different." She concludes pulling back with an odd expression on her face. "Like another—" Another curious sniff, "person...? Like another... " Her head tilts to the side as she smiles with a conspiratory glint in her eyes. "—Man."

He remains still, "What are you talking about, I don't—" then raises his left hand to bring the sleeve below the paper bag covering his face to investigate the alleged smell. "I don't smell anything."

She giggles, before asking, very much amused, "You're not denying it?" 

"No, I think you're having sensory hallucinations and that you're due for a check-up because I don't smell a thing!"

"Duh, of course you don't, but I do! And you know who else I suspect has an excellent sense of smell~?" The corner of her lips curl in an even wider smile below dark hooded eyes as she sits at the edge of the desk crossing one leg over the other. "Our hot Boss." 

"Shit, the appointment!" He responds and begins gathering all the documents on the desk to put them in a folder.

"I'd change if I were you. You don't want my beloved thinking you were out there wasting time by fooling around with some guy."

He looks up at that, "I wasn't!!" and snaps back, flushed all over at her accosting words. Unaware of the pink spilling down his neck as he strides away from the giggling lunatic.

"You're like a tomato!" She calls out.

He does his best to ignore her... but ends up making a detour to change the labcoat.

Just in case. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am personally very invested in this wonderful story which would not have been if it weren't for the wonderful Sketch1000grau, my friend—whom I've worked closely with to make this story a reality. Please give her some sugar at:  
> Sketch1000grau's twitter:☕SKETCH1000GRAU (@GreySketchBT): https://twitter.com/GreySketchBT?s=09  
> Tumblr: http://sketch1000grau.tumblr.com  
> (Her art is amazing btw)
> 
> My own Tumblr: lazarel-3000.tumblr.com  
> Twitter: Lazarel (@_Lazarel_): https://twitter.com/_Lazarel_?s=09
> 
> Comment if you liked, you guys have no idea how much comments mean to us.  
> Thank you!!

**Author's Note:**

> I have wonderful Sketch1000grau to thank for giving me the opportunity to work with her OC! Johnny belongs to her, as well as the premise for this AU where Flug actually finds someone who likes him, likes him!  
> I just elaborated on it bc I fell in love with the idea!!
> 
> Sketch1000grau's twitter:☕SKETCH1000GRAU (@GreySketchBT): https://twitter.com/GreySketchBT?s=09  
> Tumblr: http://sketch1000grau.tumblr.com  
> (Her art is amazing btw)
> 
> My own Tumblr: lazarel-3000.tumblr.com  
> Twitter: Lazarel (@_Lazarel_): https://twitter.com/_Lazarel_?s=09 
> 
> My hope to continue to work on this story if there's interest, so please let me know what u think on the comment section!!


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